Ecological Assessment Report

        No evidence of or direct sightings of koalas or evidence of recent utilisation by koalas was noted
        during the site investigation (e.g. in the form of scratch marks or scat). The small extent of clearing
        will not impact on the overall availability of koala habitat or connectivity to other areas of koala
        habitat.

        Schedule 10, Part 10, Section 16A of the Planning Regulation 2017 states that development
        interfering with koala habitat in a mapped koala priority area and koala habitat area is prohibited
        development unless the works are considered exempted development.

         Schedule 24 of the Planning Regulation 2017 defines exempted development to include:
         •   (k) development, other than development mentioned in any of paragraphs (a) to (j), that results in a
             total area on the premises of 500m2 or less of 1 or more koala habitat areas being cleared of native
             vegetation since 7 February 2020, disregarding an area cleared of native vegetation if any of
             paragraphs (l) to (p) applies to the clearing; or
         •   (n) development that is or involves operational work that is the clearing of native vegetation in a koala
             habitat area if the clearing (vii) is necessary for essential management and is qualifying clearing.

         As no clearing has occurred on the land within the mapped core koala habitat since 7 February
         2020, the minor clearing work required to accommodate the residence is able to be sited within
         the 500m2 clearing permitted under Item (k). This equates to an approximate area of 300m2 of
         impacted core koala habitat within the area in which the dwelling house is proposed.

         Schedule 24 of the Planning Regulation defines essential management to include clearing native
         vegetation:
         (a) for establishing or maintaining a necessary firebreak to protect infrastructure, other than a fence, road
             or vehicular track, if the maximum width of the firebreak is equal to 1.5 times the height of the tallest
             vegetation next to the infrastructure, or 20m, whichever is the wider.
         (b) for establishing a necessary fire management line, if the maximum width of the clearing for the fire
             management line is 10m.

         Advice received from SARA confirms that if the vegetation clearing is restricted to that which is
         required to facilitate the BAL 29 construction standard, as determined by the specialist bushfire
         report, the project will not trigger assessment for exempt clearing opportunities for fire
         management.

         For item (n)(vii) of the exempted development definition to apply, the firebreak could only be
         that which is necessary (as provided by a bushfire specialist) and could not exceed a maximum
         width of 20m or 1.5 times the height of the tallest tree adjacent to the proposed dwelling,
         whichever is greater. The necessity of a firebreak must be based on the advice of a suitably
         qualified person (e.g. a bushfire management specialist) following an assessment of the site in
         accordance with relevant standards and guidelines.




30 September 2021                                  Chris Bentley                                            Page: 13
Ref: 20-052                                Ecological Assessment Report
                                    Proposed Dwelling at 11 Senegal Rise, Doonan